5/14/2012 06:08:00 pm -
Reported by
John Bowman

The Doctor Who Experience in Cardiff is to open its doors to the public on Friday 20th July, it was announced today. Tickets for the attraction will go on sale at 10am on Thursday 14th June.

Originally based at the Olympia Two exhibition, conference, and event centre in West Kensington, London, it has been moved next to the Roath Lock drama studios at Porth Teigr, where Doctor Who is now made. With the construction having finished, internal fitting can now take place, moving in props, sets, and memorabilia from the show.

Items going on display for the first time in Cardiff will include the Doctor's cradle from A Good Man Goes to War, the Silence spaceship, and the Doctor's sonic cane from Let's Kill Hitler. Many more items are being kept under wraps until the attraction opens.

The Doctor Who Experience in Cardiff is going to be just minutes away from where the BBC Wales television series is made, which I'm incredibly excited about. The Experience sets out to engage visitors' imaginations from the outset, immersing them in the world of Doctor Who, and what better place to do this than in Cardiff, the home of the show?

The interactive exhibition ran for a year in London, closing in February this year. It was originally planned to open in Cardiff this spring, but that date got pushed back and instead the Official Doctor Who Convention was held in the Millennium Centre. The Cardiff "incarnation" of the Experience, which is in a 3,000 sq m building, is scheduled to be in situ for five years.

The attraction covers the entire history of the series, with exhibits changing as new episodes are shown, and Paula Al-Lach, BBC Worldwide's head of exhibitions and events, said:

I'm thrilled to be formally accepting the keys to the building . . . and can't wait to start moving in. We've worked hard to create an outstanding visitor attraction with the Doctor Who Experience. It's the first-ever interactive Doctor Who exhibition and for our Cardiff opening we have some exciting new exhibits to be displayed in public for the very first time.

Ken Poole, Cardiff council's head of economic development, said:

Doctor Who is a global brand and is something that has really helped boost the profile of Cardiff internationally. This attraction will bring millions of pounds into the economy and the benefits to Cardiff will be immense in terms of tourism.

Up to a quarter of a million people are expected to pass through its doors every year.